


Playlist Challenge Compilation

by Anonymous



Category: Vampirates - Justin Somper
Genre: Ensemble Cast, Ficlet Collection, Gen, Multi, Multiple Pairings, Playlist Challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-06
Updated: 2011-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:21:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 4,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26548162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: A collection of short stories written for the playlist challenge, featuring a wide range of characters and pairings from the vampirates series.
Collections: Anonymous





	1. Disenchanted

**Author's Note:**

> Playlist Challenge Rules:  
> 1\. Pick a character, pairing, or fandom you like.  
> 2\. Turn on your music player and put it on random/shuffle.  
> 3\. Write a drabble related to each song that plays. You only have the time frame of the song to finish the drabble; you start when the song starts, and stop when it's over. No lingering afterwards! You don't have to do a song that's only instrumental.  
> 4\. Do ten of these, then post them.

**Disenchanted  
The Black Parade, My Chemical Romance**

" _It was a lie when they smiled  
_ _And said, 'you won't feel a thing'"_

Darcy buried her head in her hands, as loneliness overwhelmed her and their tears threatened to spill down her perfectly powdered cheeks.

Grace was gone - Off on a mission to infiltrate the rebel vampires. At least that's what they said. But Darcy was no longer sure whether to believe the empty smiles when they told her it was for the greater good.

The Captain was gone - Healing was their excuse this time. Was it another lie? They said he be back soon. They'd said that months ago.

Even Lorcan had gone - Too busy allying himself with the would-be assassins to remember her. Not long ago they'd been confidants, wondering if this was a war worth fighting for. But now he was the one _fighting._ Had he lied too?

Yes, they'd all lied. Darcy understood this now, as the veil of belief began to tumble around her. They'd lied and left just like her Jez had. She'd loved them all.

There was no one left now. Darcy was alone. With a silent sob, the tears began to slide down her cheeks once more.


	2. Cloud Nine

**Cloud Nine  
The Open Door, Evanescence**

" _If I fall and all is lost  
_ _no light to lead the way  
_ _remember that all alone is where I belong"_

Connor crept silently through the shadows of the tavern. Through the windows and open doorways, he could make out the smiling faces of morals merry making under the fluorescent lights. It was almost more than he could bear.

The familiar and unmistakable voice of Ma Kettle cut through the din; as she declared a free round of drinks on the house in celebration of the pirate's victory. A cheer rose up from the crowd and, as he peeked in through the smoky darkness, he noticed his friends among the jaunty bodies. They were happy. And why shouldn't they be, they'd one the battle hadn't they? Even if there were more to face they would go in fighting, together.

The tiniest bit of Connor wanted to scream. To cry out in protest that they should be happy without him. Deep down that he couldn't, they deserved their happiness, and he didn't. A heaven like this wasn't made for people like him.

He left as quietly as he had entered.


	3. Book of Days

**Book of Days  
Shepard Moons, Enya**

" _Ó lá go lá, mo thuras,  
_ _an bealach fada romham.  
_ _Ó oíche go hoíche, mo thuras,  
_ _na scéalta nach mbeidh a choích."_

"Grace, may I come in?" Lorcan asked as he leant against his girlfriend's cabin door.

 _Girlfriend_ , the word still made him smile in amazement. Of all the things he had seen through his journey of life and death, this was both the strangest and most wondrous.

"Yes, you can come in," she shouted back, through the doorway.

As he entered she put the book of crossing stories and pen down on the bed beside her, and kissed him hello.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were busy," Grace said, drawing away. "Not that I'm not glad to see you," she added hastily.

"I know," he said, simply. He picked up the book and leafed thought it, buying time in the silence. Then he sighed and pressed the book into her slender pale hands. "Grace, I want to tell you a story."


	4. Frozen

**Frozen  
The Heart of Everything, Within Temptation**

" _I would stop running  
_ _If I knew there was a chance  
_ _It tears me apart to sacrifice it all  
_ _But I'm forced to let go."_

"So then tell me about this señorita of yours, amigo, you're always talking about her, but you never actually s _ay_ anything," Johnny said, taking hefty a swig of Lady Lola's latest vintage.

Jez sighed, copying his friend and joint-deputy, gulping down the ruby-red liquid before answering. "Her name was Darcy"

"And?" he prompted.

"She's the figurehead of the Nocturne, a real beauty… funny, clever. Everything you could want in a girl, she was…" his voice shook slightly, and he was forced to pause in his description as he gulped down another mouthful of blood to steady it. He sighed once more. "I really loved her; asked her to marry me and everything."

"So what went wrong?" Johnny asked, curiosity getting the better of him. "How'd she leave you?"

Jez paused once again, lost in though for a brief moment. "She didn't really leave me. It was more like I left her. The day I joined this ship. It was a choice between her and Sidorio."

Johnny let out an empty laugh. "Well, I'm glad you got your priories sorted. She sounds like a nice girl, but I don't think you could ever beat this life," he said lifting his glass and clinking it against Jez's. "Right?"

"Right…" Jez echoed hollowly.


	5. Misery Loves Company

**Misery Loves Company  
Opheliac (Deluxe Edition), Emilie Autumn**

" _Did you plan this all along  
_ _Did you care if it was wrong  
_ _Who's getting warmer now  
_ _That I'm gone?"_

"I'll be back in a minute, I'm just going to get some air," Grace said, giving Lorcan's hand a squeeze before squeezing out of the tavern table's and heading outside.

She breathed a sigh of relief as the cool night breeze washed over her flushed skin. Something tapped her shoulder, making her startle and turn in surprise.

"Johnny! What are you doing here?" she exclaimed as she recognised the shady figure standing beside her.

"Grace, we need to talk," he said slowly.

"Do we?"

"Yes."

"Why?" she asked breezily.

"You know exactly why."

She turned away from him, back to face the tavern and her boyfriend. "No, I don't think I do."

"For God's sake Grace!" he said, grabbing her arm and twister her to face him once more, no longer able to keep his cool. "What the hell's the matter with you? I just came here to talk."

"There's nothing to say," she said, just as angrily. "Now let go of me."

"Of course there's something to say! You used me, Grace! For your own selfish gain!"

"Just as _you_ used _me_!"

He shook his head, "No, Lady Lola may have asked me to trick you into loving me but my feeling for you have always been genuine."

Her gazed softened by a fraction. "Johnny, you know it would have never worked out between us. Now, if you'll excuse me I have to get back to my _boyfriend._ "

He shrugged. "Okay, so maybe it won't have worked," he said turning to face the entrance to the tavern before adding. "But I'd rather we were both lonesome together than to see you spend eternity with him," as he drew his sword.


	6. Bad Influence

**Bad Influence  
Funhouse, P!nk**

" _It's never too late to send out all the invitations  
_ _To the last night of your life."_

The party had been the most looked-forward-to event of the year for the small seaside village of Fairview. The host was a man of generous-fortune, who, every year threw an extravagant birthday party for his wife and, every year, invited all the members of the village.

This year had been no different. The decorations had been put up, covering the ballroom from floor to ceiling, presents covered the tables which weren't already growing under the masses of food and drink which flowed freely between the guests. There was a live band too, playing a jaunty tune as they villagers swayed across the dance floor.

By all accounts, the party was going beautifully - up until now.

It began with a strong cold wind, which caused the door to swing open and the lanterns to flicker out. And before anyone could make a move a man and women entered the main room.

They were a striking pair; both tall and filled with a foreboding presence. No one moved for a moment, until the host, coming to his senses, stepped forward. "Can I help you?"

Now that he was closer, he could see the couple more clearly. The man had shaved head and dressed in a strange mixture of leather and chainmail while the woman wore a vast floor-length dress, silks stretched to cover her obviously pregnant stomach.

She smiled warmly at him. "Ah, Sir Roberts, how kind of you to invite us here."

A frown flickered across his face he hid it with another smile, not wanting to spoil his wife's big day, "Ah, you're very welcome. Although, you must pardon me because I can't seem to recall who you are."

Her smile never faltered, "Lady Lola Elizabeth Mercy Lockwood-Sidorio," she said, "and my husband Captain Quintus Antonius Sidorio."

"A pleasure," he said trying to maintain his cheerful expression, despite the unusual couple before him. "If you'd like something to drink I'd be happy to show you to the refreshments table." Anything to get them out of the limelight.

"Did you hear that Sid?" Lola said, turning to her husband. "Sir Roberts wants to know if we'd like a drink?"

They both began to laugh.

"It'd be rude to refuse, and we all know you are a gull for manners, darling wife." Sidorio chuckled, giving her a peck on the cheek.

"Too right, Sid!" she said cheerfully, before turning back to the host. "And we'd be much obligated if you could provide our companions with some refreshments as well."

"Com…?" He began just as he realised, with a sickening jolt of horror, that the room had begun to fill with cruel-looking strangers brandishing weapons who had silently managed to surround the guests without him even realising.

 _Pirates._ His mind concluded. The woman had called her husband a captain. That was the only explanation. He raised his hands slowly, in the surrender position, sweat prickling along the back of his neck.

"Of course, they can have whatever they wish for. We won't want any trouble here," he said as smoothly as he could, slowly inching his way back to where he knew his beloved wife was stood.

Lola beamed. "Wonderful! Well, boys and girls, you heard our host, you may have whatever refreshments you wish for."

It was then that hell descended upon the room. Roberts watched in horror as the room filled with red, the 'pirates' in no need of the weapons they carried at their sides.

The woman, the one who had caused all this, was at his sides in moments holding him upright as his legs threatened to collapse from underneath him.

"I really can not thank you enough for this," she said, her smile unfazed by the surrounding bloodshed. "This really is quite a magnificent baby shower."

She laid a hand tenderly across her stomach, before calling out. "Sid! Will you go fetch me a glass, please, and get one for yourself as well. I know the children haven't been born yet but the gynaecologist we killed last week said they're hearing was already quite developed so I'd hate for them to think we have no manners, like your ragtag crew, it would be such a bad influence on them."


	7. Swallowed in the Sea

**Swallowed in the Sea  
X & Y, Coldplay**

" _Well that's where I belong  
_ _And you belong with me  
_ _Not swallowed in the sea."_

When Grace had jumped Connor's world has turned upside down. It was like watching a film in slow motion - he couldn't run fast enough, every step was like moving underwater, but his mind was racing.

Now he sat beside her in the infirmary. She hadn't waken up since the nurse had put her to sleep the previous night. "It's for the best" she'd said.

"Why did you do it?" Connor whispered to the form of his sleeping sister. "Were you really that unhappy?"

He wasn't expecting an answer, of course, and was surprised when Grace's voice cut sharply through his thought.

_You know why I did it._

He could have imagined it, his fevered mind playing tricks, but then the voice had been so clear.

_I don't belong here._

This time he was convinced. "Grace!"

Out of the corner of his eye he was the nurse peering though the curtains, to make sure her young patient hadn't awakened, before truing back to her work.

"Grace," he repeated more softly. "How could you do this to me?"

 _I don't belong here,_ the voice echoed.

"So you didn't like it at Pirate Academy; we could have gone back to the Diablo, or maybe another ship…" he lowered his voice again, just in case the nurse was listing. "Frankly, I'm not sure where I belong either."

_That's not what I meant; we've both changed so fast, there's no place for me in your world anymore._

He shook his head fiercely. "That's not true, there will always be a place for you here; we're twins, we belong together."

It could have been a trick of the light, but Connor could swear he saw a sad smile cross Grace's otherwise lifeless lips.


	8. When You Were Young

**When You Were Young  
Sam** **'** **s Town, The Killers**

" _And sometimes you close your eyes  
_ _And see the place where you used to live  
_ _When you were young"_

"… _and they never lay a hand on thee,"_ Dexter whispered the final words of the shanty before giving Grace, then Connor a peck on their sleeping heads.

It was late at night, but both twins had been unable to sleep with the wind hollowing like a banshee and the harbour as lonely as the grave; so he'd sung to them until they finally nodded off halfway through the shanty.

He stood up wearily and made his way slowly back up to the spiral staircase to the lamp room above. There wasn't much point watching the harbour on a night like this, no ship would sail in tonight.

But it was nights like this he missed her more than ever. Sally, his dear sweet Sally, she's promised to return to him one day and he clung to the promise like a man drowning.

No there wasn't much point watching the harbour tonight, but Dexter never gave up hope.


	9. You are the Moon

**You are the Moon  
Like Vines, The Hush Sound**

" _Shadows all around you as you surface from the dark  
_ _Emerging from the gentle grip of night's unfolding arms  
_ _Darkness, darkness everywhere, do you feel all alone?"_

"Blow out the candle," Lorcan said urgently, as she entered the room. "Blow out the candle, Darcy."

"Alright," she said, doing as he wished. "Although I don't see why it should bother you, you can't see a thing anyway."

He didn't answer, and she felt slightly guilty for bringing up his blindness, so to make up for it suggested: "Why don't we go for a walk in the moonlight, it's too fine a night to waste."

He shook his head. "No, thank you. I think I'd be better off left alone with my thoughts tonight, Darce."

"You'd rather be alone every night. If you don't want company just say so," she huffed before storming out.

"It's not that I want to be alone," he whispered to the darkness.


	10. Dog Days are Over

**Dog Days are Over  
Lungs, Florence + The Machine**

" _Happiness hit her like a train on a track  
_ _Coming towards her stuck still no turning back  
_ _She hid around corners and she hid under beds  
_ _She killed it with kisses and from it she fled."_

Jasmine knew it was wrong but, as cliché as it sounded, it felt right. She smiled and gave Connor a tender kiss, lingering in his arms for just a few moments longer before she had to leave. "I'll see you later, I've got work to do."

Reluctantly he let go. "I'll see you at dinner."

"Bye." She left his cabin and headed off to the main decks.

Jacoby was already waiting for her. "Hello gorgeous," he said with a grin, reaching out and pulling her into his arms.

"Hello, to you too," she said, rather less enthusiastically, but she gave him a kiss all the same. For a brief moment she wondered if she should tell him, but looking into his eyes she knew she couldn't. Maybe she'll have to stay in this unhappy relationship forever, and just for a brief moment, she hated him more than anything. But then the moment faded and she pushed the thoughts away. She'd get through the day just the way she always did.

It wasn't until later, at dinner, that Jasmine could feel happiness again when Connor brushed against her as he sat down next to her. She allowed herself to share a brief smile with him before turning back to her oblivious boyfriend.


	11. I Know Where You Sleep

**I Know Where You Sleep  
Opheliac (Deluxe Edition), Emilie Autumn**

_"You've got a fancy turn of phrase,  
_ _You set your trap,  
_ _You made your plays,_ _You're so fond of games,  
_ _You must never lose."_

Lola tapped her long polished fingernails against the rare Chippendale table tediously. Sidorio and his boys were out hunting and had insisted that his heavily pregnant wife stay behind and now she was bored and a bored Lola was a very dangerous thing.

"How about a card game, Captain?" Mimma suggested.

"I suppose," she said with a sigh.

"How about follow the queen?"

This time Lola smiled. "Alright, let me just find the cards."

She rose slowly, weighed down by her pregnancy. As she waddled over to an ancient cassone Mimma lent over to whisper in Holly's ear. "Word to the wise; Lola never loses."

Holly glanced at her, eyes flickering with curiosity. "Why?" she whispered back. "Is she that good?"

Mimma gave a knowing smile. "No, but no one else is brave enough to win."


	12. Breathe No More

**Breathe No More  
Evanescence  
  
** _"But I know the difference,  
_ _Between myself and my reflection.  
_ _I just can't help but to wonder,  
_ _Which of us do you love?"_

After Connor had decided to become human he had assumed all the supernatural nonsense would stop. But it hadn't and now he was stood at the back of a crowd as they gathered round a coffin. His coffin.

He wasn't actually there, of course, it was some kind of vision or dream and he had no doubt that he would wake up soon enough.

Still, it was unnerving seeing his doppelganger's corpse lying there; and even worse was the expressions of his friends surrounding him.

Cate was giving a speech now, praising his skill in battle, his friendship, his loyalty to the end. _Would she say that if she knew what he was?_

At the front of the congregation, was Jacoby, looking mournful as he helped lift the coffin. _How easily he had forgotten their fight… clearly in death he had been forgiven._

Now, as the coffin hit the waves below, he caught sight of Jasmine crying at the back of the congregation. _She too had forgotten the monster he had become at the very end. They mourned for Connor Tempest the boy-pirate who had died too young._

 _He_ may have still been alive but Connor Tempest was dead and he couldn't help but wonder whether they'd welcome him home when the time came.


	13. East Harlem

**East Harlem  
The Rip Tide, Beirut**

_"A thousand miles between us.  
_ _She's waiting for the night to fall.  
_ _Let it fall, I'll never make it in time."_

There was a lot he wanted to say as he left the sanctuary. He wanted to beg her to come with. He wanted to tell her there was still a future for them. He wanted to say how very sorry he was.

But he left without a word and it was too late now to go back.

They were on opposite sides of this war and she had made it clear where they stood.

It was too late for them to be together.


	14. Postcards From Italy

**Postcards From Italy**   
**Florence and the Machine (original: Beirut)**   
  
_"_ _The times we had, when the wind would blow with rain and snow_ _…"_

She had never intended to keep track of the days, it's such a mortal thing to do, but now she can't help it, the numbers come unbidden to her mind. It's been 3 months and 12 days since his death and time hasn't healed old wounds, instead it mocks her. _Alone Forever_ the clocks seem to say. She wasn't even aware there were any clocks on her ship.

Today is her wedding anniversary, or it would have been if she'd had anyone to share it with. That had been a hellish day, to be perfectly honest, and not in the way she had intended. But her honeymoon, that had been perfect, the cool air…sleet falling from the sky…red on white. She missed those times.


	15. Any Old Actress

**Any Old Actress  
A Radical Recital, Rasputina**

" _Any old actress worth her salt outta know, the higher you are, you want to see what's below._ "

Darcy stood on her tiptoes, leaning over the ship's rails and trying to get a good look at the stormy waves below. There wasn't much to see now, but Mr Johnston, a scientist she'd met onboard had claimed that storms could sometimes drag up the bones of old ships and if that were true she was certain she would want to see it.

"Darcy Flotsam!" a voice called over the hollering wind.

She turned to find Mabel, one of the warm-up acts, hurrying towards her.

"Wot 're you doin' out 'ere, in this mess?" Mabel called out. "Jim's frantic, you're on in five!"

"Sorry, I lost track of time."

"Well, 'urry up and get inside before it starts chuckin' it down, and for 'eaven's sake do something' with that 'air before you get on stage."

"Sure," Darcy said, as Mabel toddled off. She wasn't really sure what had come over her, standing in the middle of a gale like this, and with a show to boot! _'6s and 7s'_ is what her ma would have said. Still, as she followed in Mabel's footsteps she couldn't help but cast one last curious glance at the churning waves below.

* * *

As she stepped onto the stage she heard the rain begin. Echoing across the room as it pounded against the metal sides of the ship. Quickly joined by a chorus of roaring thunder. Still, the show must go on.

* * *

"… _outta know, the higher you are-"_ As she took a final breath, for the last verse, she saw a bright flash, felt a deep tremble beneath her… and then it went dark.

Turns out storms could drag up old ships.


	16. No Place Like London

**No Place Like London  
Sweeney Todd**

" _I have sailed the world, beheld it's wonders,  
_ _From the Dardanelles to the mountains of Peru,  
_ _But there's no place like London!"_

When Darcy awoke that evening the first thing she did was throw on a lacy dressing gown and run to the window. Below her she could see the city coming alive, florescent lights as bright as day. But these lights couldn't hurt her. These were the lights of the city! Of the stage! These lights were home.

Feeling suddenly impulsive, she unhooked the latch on the window and lent as far out as she could, straining her neck so as to be surrounded by the sounds of the city once more. She had missed this, she just hadn't realised how much until now.

She felt a pair of gentle hands on her waist pull her inside.

"Careful there, I don't want to be made a widower the first day of our honeymoon."


	17. Angels

**Angles  
The Silent Force, Within Temptation**

" _I couldn't see your dark intentions, your feelings for me,_  
Fallen angel, tell me why  
What is the reason, the thorn in your eye?"

As soon as Sidorio had departed from her cabin, Sally had let out the sob she'd been holding back for weeks, maybe even months. She didn't know how much longer she could keep this up, pretending not to care about Sidorio's indifference, when inside it was tearing her apart.

When she'd told her friends she'd fallen in love with him, Darcy had looked disapproving, Shanti had laughed and even Teressa was less sympathetic than her usual self.

"Vampires and donors don't fall in love, silly," Shanti had explained between giggles. "It would lead to all sorts of problems. It's just a passing fancy, it'll fade."

She got over him eventually. Shanti had been right, it was ridiculous for a vampire and donor to fall in love. She just wished someone had told Sidorio that.


	18. Viva la Vida

**Viva la Vida  
Lady Gaga (original: Coldplay)**

" _I used to rule the world,  
Seas would rise when I gave the word,  
Now in the morning, I sleep alone,  
Sweep the streets I used to own."_

Lola slammed her fist onto the priceless Elizabethan table in an uncharacteristic display of anger. Her wedding ring scratched the ancient wood but for once she didn't give a damn.

"Lady Lockwood, is something wrong?" Natalie asked.

Lola spun to face her lieutenant, her eyes still wild with rage.

"How many times must I tell you? It's Lady _Sidorio_!"

The girl trembled. "Yes, Lady…Sidorio."

Lola grimaced at raised a hand to her temples, the telltale sign someone was going to get hurt if they didn't do as she said. "Just go, all of you."

Natalie, along with Jez, Johnny and the others, stood to make their departure.

She glanced at them. "Not you, boys, you can stay."

Jez couldn't help but smile at that Lola had certainly changed her tune in the time since Sidorio's death. She was a broken woman, no longer fit to rule an empire… Just the figurehead of a ship, rather like someone else he had once known. But, no, Lola wasn't even that attractive. She had lost any appeal she had once possessed the moment her empire had fallen. She could barely take care of herself let alone her ship. Now she relied on 'the boys' to manage it for her.

She may have been useless, Jez reflected, but he rather liked this new Lola.


	19. Hospital Beds

**Hospital Beds  
Florence and the Machine (original: Cold War Kids)**

" _Tell me the story of how you ended up here,  
_ _I've heard it all in the hospital."_

"Jacoby, I'd like to introduce you to your donor," Grace Tempest announced. "Luna Abeyta-Perez.  
"Luna, this is Jacoby Blunt, honours graduate from the pirate academy and deputy captain of _The Tiger._ "

The beautiful girl beside Grace smiled at him warmly. " _Hola_ , it's a pleasure to meet you."

" _Hola_ ," he repeated softly, his voice hoarse.

"Luna is a trained nurse as well as an experienced donor," Grace added helpfully. "She'll be able to keep an eye on you, while I check on my other patients."

"Sure," he said weakly.

"I'll leave you to get aquatinted then, shall I?" She said, not waiting for an answer before, disappearing behind the hospital curtains."

"Would you like something to drink? Your throat sounds sore?" Luna asked, looking at him with concern.

Jacoby blanched, was she suggesting they share? Now? He'd just met her and he wasn't sure he was ready for this. Taking blood would mean a point of no return.

She stepped closer to his bed and picked up a pitcher from his bedside table and poured the clear liquid into a glass.

"Oh, water. You meant water," he said with evident relief. "Can vampires drink water?"

"If they like," she said, handing him the glass. As she did so her soft fingers brushed against his larger burnt ones.


	20. Samson

**Samson  
Begin to Hope, Regina Spektor**

" _You are my sweetest downfall,  
I loved you first, I loved you first,  
Beneath the sheets of paper lies my truth,  
I have to go, I have to go,  
Your hair was long when we first met."_

Grace watched as the pirates rushed past her as the sound of the alarm bells rang throughout the academy. Code red. This was it: the final battle.

In her arms was the book with the words. Those words. They were embedded in her mind's eye and there was no escaping them: _It's time for you to enter the land of the dead._

She trembled but no one else seemed to notice. She didn't want to die, even if it meant they would lose the war. She wouldn't die for them.

Among the pirates she glimpsed Lorcan. She wanted to reach out to him, so he could comfort her. Protect her. But he didn't notice, too caught up in the coming battle. War had changed him, he'd become more serious, more determined. His hair had been long when they'd first met…

And now she had to go, she realised. She had to go. To save him she would die, and for him, she would come back.


End file.
